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Add to Calendar 09/03/2016 09:30 09/03/2016 17:00 Africa/Casablanca SIIS – OCPPC Roundtable: Current African Economic and Strategic Challenges and Opportunities; Intersecting Views from China and Morocco   The Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS) and OCP Policy Center will jointly hold a roundtable on the current economic and strategic geopolitical challenges and opportunities the African continent faces and represents, on March 9th, 2016 at OCP Policy Center, Rabat.   OCP Policy Center, Rabat OCP Policy Center contact@ocppc.ma false DD/MM/YYYY
Wednesday, March 9, 2016 - 09:30 to 17:00

SIIS – OCPPC Roundtable: Current African Economic and Strategic Challenges and Opportunities; Intersecting Views from China and Morocco

 

The Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS) and OCP Policy Center will jointly hold a roundtable on the current economic and strategic geopolitical challenges and opportunities the African continent faces and represents, on March 9th, 2016 at OCP Policy Center, Rabat.  

The purpose of this roundtable initiated by the two think tanks is to offer a research oriented platform where experts, researchers from both centers will intersect views, analyses and perspectives, carried in the context of the recent economic and geopolitical developments. It also aims to provide elements for discussion on the partnership perspectives between China, Morocco and Africa. It hence represents an opportunity to enhance and further these discussions between think tanks committed to bringing a contribution to analyzing regional and international geopolitical dynamics.

On the one hand, China’s increased involvement in Africa and Latin America is clearly demonstrated through its economic and trade strategy. The increased outsourcing of China’s industrial capacity and the large scale investments in infrastructure in African countries is marking a shift in the country’s approach to developing emerging markets.

On the other hand, China has recently released the Arab Policy Paper, which outlines the future orientation of China-Arabic cooperation in the light of the recent developments – on the economic, security and policy levels – witnessed in Middle East and North African region.

How can the Morocco-China partnerships benefit to the local and to the regional security and economic contexts? What are the opportunities for an enhanced China-Africa cooperation? What roles can think tanks play in sustaining the cooperation between the identified regions?

Agenda

 

09:30 – 10:00

Introductory Remarks

10:00 – 11:00

SESSION 1: China - Sub-Saharan Africa's Interactions in the Regional Security

- Abdelhak Bassou, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center

- Liangxiang Jin, Research Fellow, Center for West Asian and African Studies, SIIS

11:00 – 11:30

Break

11:30 – 12:30

SESSION 2 : China's Arab policy: New Perspectives for Sustainable Partnerships

- Weijian Li, Executive Director, China Association for Middle East Studies, and Senior Fellow, SIIS 

- Mohamed Maliki, Director, Asia and Oceania Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Kingdom of Morocco

- Fathallah Oualalou, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center

14:00 – 15:00

SESSION 3 : Morocco and China in the Global Economic Context

- Karim El Aynaoui, Managing Director, OCP Policy Center

- Weiting Zhang, Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa, SIIS

15:00 – 15:30

Break

15:30 – 16:30

SESSION 4: The Role of Think Tanks and Civil Society in Enhancing Morocco-China Coorporation

- Abdellah Saaf, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center

- Jiemian Yang, Senior Fellow and Director, SIIS’s Academic Committee

16:30 – 17:00

Closing Remarks

 

About the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies

Founded in 1960, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS) is a comprehensive research organization for studies of international politics, economy, security strategy and China's external relations. The SIIS is dedicated to serving for China's modernization drive, and for Shanghai's opening-up and economic development. It mainly studies the United States, Japan, Europe, Russia and the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on relations among major powers and China's periphery environment. Based on its studies of theories of international relations and dynamic changes of international affairs, the SIIS pursues both mid-term and long-term comprehensive research on significant issues in contemporary international politics, economy and security, providing relevant governmental departments and institutions with research reports and other research findings for reference, and presenting journals and magazines to the public for popularizing knowledge of international affairs. 

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About the Speakers :
  • Jiemian Yang

    Senior Fellow and Director, SIIS’s Academic Committee 

    Jiemian Yang is a senior fellow and the director of SIIS’s academic committee, Counsellor of Shanghai Municipal People's Government. He received his B.A. at the Shanghai Teachers’ University, M.A. at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS) and M.A. at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Ph.D. at the Shanghai International Studies University. Concurrently, Dr. Yang is on the boards of the China National Association for International Studies, the Chinese People Institute of Foreign Affairs, the National Association of China-U.S. Friendship, The National Association of American Studies, and Shanghai Association of International Relations, Shanghai Institute for International Strategic Studies, Shanghai Association of Taiwan Studies and many other organizations. Dr. Yang is also a guest professor/fellow at Shanghai International Studies University and East China Normal University. His honors include National Special Awards, Shanghai Outstanding Talent Award and several Shanghai Awards in Social Sciences. Dr. Yang has published many papers or books on international relations and American foreign policies. 

  • Abdelhak Bassou

    Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center

    Abdelhak Bassou is Senior Fellow at OCP Policy Center. He occupied several offices within the Directorate General of the Moroccan National Security where he was Borders’ Division Chief from 1978 to 1993. He was the former Director of the Royal Institute of Police in 1998. He also served as the Chief of Regional Security (Errachidia 1999-2003, Sidi Kacem 2003-2005) and was also Head of the Central General Intelligence from 2006 to 2009.

    He also contributed to the output of several international organizations endeavors including the Council of Arab Interior Ministers from 1986 to 1992, where he represented the Directorate General of National Security in several meetings. Abdelhak Bassou holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science and International Studies from the Faculty of Law, Economics and Social Sciences of Agdal in Rabat

  • Liangxiang Jin

    Research Fellow, Center for West Asian and African Studies, SIIS 

    Liangxiang Jin, research fellow at the Center for West Asian and African Studies, SIIS, is specialized in the Middle East international relations, and particularly engaged in the field of energy security and geopolitics, and the Iranian nuclear issue. He was a visiting scholar of the Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace, Israel from October 2002 to June 2003. 

  • Mohamed Maliki

    Director, Asia and Oceania Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation

    Mohmamed Maliki is the director of Asia and Oceania Affairs, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Morocco. Having held a diploma on “Diplomatic studies” from the “Pakistan Foreign Service Academy”, Islamabad, he engaged in a diplomatic career by becoming First Secretary of Foreign Affairs, in charge of the Technical Cooperation with African countries at African Affairs Directorate. He was Deputy Ambassador at the Moroccan Embassy in Yaoundé, Cameroon from 1994 to 2000. From 2001 to 2003, he became Head of Eastern and Southern African Countries Department, African Affairs Directorate (MAEC). Before joining and leading the Asia and Oceania Affairs (2011 to present), from 2003 to 2007, he was appointed Deputy Ambassador at the Moroccan Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan.

  • Fathallah Oualalou

    Economist and Senior Fellow OCP Policy Center

    Fathallah Oualalou is an economist, Former Minister of Economy and Finance, of Privatisation and Tourism, Former Mayor, City of Rabat and Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center.

    Fathallah Oualalou was born in 1942 in Rabat. He graduated in economy from Mohammed V University in 1964 and obtained a diploma on economy in 1966 in Paris. He was appointed Ministry of Economy in 1998 and Ministry of Finance in 2002. He is professor at Mohammed V University and chairs the Association of Moroccan Economists and Union of Arab Economists. After over 20 years as member of the Municipal Council, he was Mayor of Rabat from 2009 to 2015.

  • Weijian Li

    Executive Director, China Association for Middle East Studies, and senior fellow, SIIS

    Weijian Li holds the titles of Executive Director of China Association for Middle East Studies,senior fellow of Shanghai Institute for International Strategic Studies, Council member of Shanghai Society for International Relations, Shanghai Public Diplomacy Association. Prof. Li worked at Cairo University (Egypt), University of Illinois (US), Center for Strategic and International Studies (US) as visiting fellow. He serves as the editorial board member for China-based monthly journal West Asia and Africa and the bi-monthly journal Arab World Studies as well. Prof. Li is a renowned scholar in Middle East studies. Currently his research also focuses on the studies of China’s public diplomacy and China’s foreign relations

  • Karim El Aynaoui

    Economist and Managing Director, OCP Policy Center

    Karim El Aynaoui is currently Managing Director of OCP Policy Center and advisor to the CEO and Chairman of OCP, a global leader in the phosphate sector. From 2005 to 2012 he worked at Bank Al-Maghrib, the Central Bank of Morocco. He was the Director of Economics and International Relations, where he provided strategic leadership in defining and supporting monetary policy analysis and strategy. He was also in charge of the Statistical and International Relations Divisions of the Central Bank, led the research division and was a member of the Governor’s Cabinet. Before joining Bank Al-Maghrib, Karim El Aynaoui worked for eight years at the World Bank, both in its Middle Eastern and North Africa, and Africa regions as an economist. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Bordeaux, where he taught for three years. He has published articles in scientific journals on macroeconomic issues in developing countries.

  • Zhang Weiting

    Researcher, SIIS

    Zhang Weiting is now doing postdoctoral research at SIIS. He got a BA in Communications from Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) in 2002, and then worked as a journalist with Cable TV station of the university. He received MA in Educational Technology in 2007 and PhD in International Studies in 2014 also from SISU. His research focuses on the region of Middle East, with a special attention to Turkey and Iran.

  • Abdallah Saaf

    Political Scientist and Professor, University Mohammed-V Rabat

    Professor of Political sciences at Mohamed V Rabat University, Director of the Center for Studies in Social Sciences Research (CERSS), and Founder of the Moroccan Association of Political Science and Director of Abhath Review.

    He was a member of the commission in charge of revising the Constitution during July 2011, and member of the Scientific Committee at the Global Forum for Humans rights.

    Abdallah Saaf is a former Minister of Education from 1998 to 2004. He manages an annual publication called “Strategic Report of Morocco” since 1995.